CN100551744C - airbag device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a kind of airbag apparatus, form by the folding air bag of new method for folding with left half side gasbag and right half gasbag.Air bag (10) has the left half side gasbag (12) that expands in the left side in occupant the place ahead, the right half gasbag (14) that expands on the right side in occupant the place ahead and with a distolateral base chamber that communicates with each other (16) of this left half side gasbag (12) and right half gasbag (14).Left half side gasbag (12) and right half gasbag (14) form smoothly and behind 2 times elongated folded formations of fore-and-aft direction along left and right directions, carry out convolution and form final folded formation to base end side from front separately.

Description

airbag device

technical field

The present invention relates to an air bag device having an air bag that inflates to block an occupant at the time of a vehicle collision etc., and more particularly to an air bag device having an air bag having left half air bags inflated on the left and right sides in front of the occupant, respectively and right side airbag.

Background technique

As an airbag that blocks the occupant when a vehicle collides, etc., JP-A-2004-268903 discloses a left half airbag and a right half airbag that inflate on the left and right sides in front of the occupant, respectively, and the left half airbag An airbag and a folding method thereof are inflated by a common inflator for the airbag and the right half airbag. In the airbag disclosed in this publication, the front end portions of the airbag half and the airbag right half are not connected to each other, and intermediate portions in the front-rear direction are connected to each other through a connecting portion.

In this publication, the front end side of the connecting portion is folded along the vertical folding line to form a primary folded body, and the primary folded body is folded smaller.

The airbag is housed in the casing after being folded and covered with a cover. When a vehicle collides, when the inflator (gas generator) performs a gas ejection operation, the airbag pushes the cover and inflates toward the front of the occupant.

Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-268903

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an airbag device in which an airbag having a left half airbag and a right half airbag is folded by a folding method different from the above-mentioned JP-A-2004-268903.

The airbag device according to claim 1 is provided with a folded airbag, a casing for accommodating the airbag, and an inflator for inflating the airbag. For gas, the airbag expands toward its front end side away from the base end side; the airbag has: a base end portion with a gas receiving port for receiving gas from the inflator; a left half airbag connected to the base end portion , which is inflated on the left side in front of the occupant; and the right half airbag, which is connected to the base end portion, is inflated on the right side in front of the occupant; Thereby, in the expanded state, a space portion open toward the occupant is formed between the front ends of the left half airbag and the right half airbag; , that is, the middle parts in the up-and-down direction in the inflated state are connected to each other through the connecting part, and it is characterized in that the airbag is flatly deployed in the up-down direction, so that the respective left and right side surfaces of the left half-side airbag and the right half-side airbag overlap each other ; Then, fold the upper side and the lower side of the connecting portion of the left half airbag and the right half airbag respectively to the opposite side of the connecting portion of the left half airbag and the right half airbag, Thus, the left half airbag and the right half airbag respectively form a belt-shaped and elongated primary folded body along the front-rear direction; then, the left half airbag and the right half airbag each fold once The body is formed into a band-shaped and elongated secondary folded body in the front-to-rear direction with the belt surface in the left-right direction; It is folded slightly to form the final fold.

The airbag device according to claim 2 is characterized in that the secondary folded body of the left airbag and the right half airbag is folded from the front end side to the base end side of the secondary folded body, folded, creased, or a combination thereof, thereby forming The final fold.

Invention effect

In the airbag device of the present invention, after the airbag, the primary folded body of the left half airbag and the right half airbag respectively form a belt-shaped, elongated secondary folded body with the belt surface in the left-right direction, and elongated in the front-rear direction, Finally, it is folded so that its front-to-back width becomes smaller. Therefore, various folding methods can be adopted as the final folding method. Since the shape during deployment of the airbag differs depending on the final folding method, it is possible to provide a shape during deployment corresponding to the vehicle type (dashboard, angle of the windshield, etc.) by appropriately selecting the folding method.

As in claim 2, as the final folding method, roll folding, crease folding, or combinations thereof are exemplified. However, it is not limited to this.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an airbag according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a sheet structure of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sewing process of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of FIG. 1 .

Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 15 is an explanatory view of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 16 is an explanatory view of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the folding procedure of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the folding sequence of the airbag of Fig. 1 .

Fig. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device having the airbag folder shown in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device of Fig. 23 when the airbag is inflated.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an airbag of an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the airbag; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the sheet structure of the airbag; Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the airbag sewing process; Fig. 5 to Fig. 22 are Explanatory views of the folding sequence of the airbag; FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device having the airbag folded body; FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the airbag device when the airbag is inflated.

The airbag 10 has a left side airbag 12 inflated on the left side in front of the occupant, a right side airbag 14 inflated on the right side in front of the occupant, and one ends of the left side airbag 12 and the right side airbag 14 communicate with each other. Base end chamber 16 . This proximal end chamber 16 becomes the proximal end side of the airbag 10 . Therefore, the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 are respectively inflated in directions away from the base end chamber 16 . In addition, hereinafter, the left-half airbag 12 and the right-half airbag 14 are sometimes simply referred to as airbags 12 and 14 , respectively. Vent holes 15 are respectively provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective airbags 12 , 14 .

In the state where the airbag 10 is inflated, there are no bridging members such as connecting pieces between the front ends of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14, and a space 13 is formed between the front ends of the two airbags 12 and 14. (figure 2). This space portion 13 is opened toward the occupant (that is, upward in FIG. 2 ).

When the inflation of the airbag 10 is completed, the distance between the front end of the left half airbag 12 and the front end of the right half airbag 14 is preferably 150-450 mm, particularly preferably 170-430 mm.

In addition, the distance in the horizontal direction from the front end to the innermost portion of the space portion 13 is preferably 280 to 480 mm, particularly preferably 310 to 450 mm. In this frontmost and innermost middle part, the airbags 12 , 14 are connected to each other by a connecting strap 18 . In this embodiment, the connecting strap 18 is attached to each of the airbags 12 and 14 so that the width direction thereof becomes the up-down direction when the airbag 10 is inflated.

In this embodiment, the webbing 18 is composed of a left webbing half body 18L and a right webbing half body 18R.

Inside each of the airbags 12 and 14, width regulating tethers 20L and 20R for regulating the width of each airbag in the left-right direction when inflated are provided. The width-regulating tethers 20L, 20R each have: an oblique tether portion 20a extending obliquely in a longitudinal section in a direction intersecting with the front-rear direction of each airbag 12, 14 in an inflated state; Horizontal direction) extending lateral tether portion 20b.

In addition, in the width-regulating tether 20L of the left side airbag 12, the tether portion 20a is inclined, and the upper part of the airbag 12 on the side opposite to the airbag 14 (left outer panel 60 described later) and the upper part of the airbag 12 are connected with each other. The airbag 14 is connected to the lower portion of the opposite side (the left side portion 50L of the inner panel 50 described later). In addition, the lateral tether portion 20b of the tether 20L connects the side of the airbag 12 opposite to the airbag 14 and the lower portion of the opposite side (the left outer panel 60 and the left side portion 50L).

In addition, in the width limiting tether 20R of the right side airbag 14, the upper portion of the airbag 14 on the side opposite to the airbag 12 (the right outer panel 70 described later) and the upper portion of the airbag 14 are inclined to the tether portion 20a. The airbag 12 is connected to the lower portion of the opposite side (the right side portion 50R of the inner panel 50 described later). In addition, the lateral tether portion 20b of the tether 20R connects the side of the airbag 14 opposite to the airbag 12 and the lower portion of the opposite side (the outer panel 70 and the right side portion 50R) to each other.

In this embodiment, the lateral tether portions 20b are respectively provided at substantially the same height as the arrangement height of the connection belt 18, and when the airbag 10 is inflated, the lateral tether portions 20b of the respective tethers 20L, 20R and the The connection belt 18 extends substantially in a straight line and substantially in the horizontal direction.

The sheet structure and the like of the airbag 10 will be described in detail below. In the following invention, the front (front end) side of each sheet refers to the front end side in the inflation direction of the airbag 10, and the rear side refers to the proximal end side in the inflation direction.

The airbag 10 is composed of a total of four sheets: an inner panel 50 , a left outer panel 60 , a right outer panel 70 , and a proximal side panel 80 . The above-mentioned left and right connection belt halves 18L, 18R are connected to the inner panel 50 .

The inner panel 50 is an elongated piece approximately in the shape of a gourd, and is folded in half at the center to form a left side part 50L and a right side part 50R. In the inner panel 50 , the left side portion 50L constitutes the inner surface of the left airbag half 12 , and the right portion 50R constitutes the inner surface of the right airbag half 14 . The inner panel 50 is composed of the lower side 56 of the left side part 50L, the front side 51, the upper side 52, the upper side 53 near the innermost folded part of the airbag recess, the upper side 54 of the right side part 50R, the front side 55, the lower side 56 and the The lower edge 57 in the vicinity of the folded portion constitutes the entire peripheral edge.

The left outer panel 60 and the right outer panel 70 respectively have front edges 61, 71, upper edges 62, 72, linear rear edges 63, 73, and lower edges 64, 74 (wherein, 64 is not shown). Vent holes 15 are respectively provided on the outer sheets 60 and 70 . A patch cloth (not shown) for reinforcement is provided on the periphery of each vent hole 15 .

The base end side panel 80 has a left side 80A, a bottom surface 80B, a right side 80C, a left tab 80D constituting the upper left side, and a right tab 80E constituting the upper right side. The base end side panel 80 has side surfaces 80A and 80C folded into a substantially triangular shape, and is opened toward the front end side of the airbag.

This base end side panel 80 is composed of the opposite sides 81 and 82 between the substantially rectangular tabs 80D and 80E, the front edges (the front sides of the tabs) 83 and 84 of the tabs 80D and 80E, and the rear sides of the tabs 80D and 80E. 85 and 86, the rear edge 87 opposite to the rear edges 85 and 86, the front edges (side front edges) 88 and 89 of the side surfaces 80A and 80C, and the bottom front edge 80f connecting the side front edges 88 and 89 form the entire periphery.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a gas receiving port 90 is provided on the bottom surface portion 80B of the base end side panel 80 . A frame-shaped reinforcing cloth 91 is laminated so as to surround the gas receiving port 90 . The gas receiving port 90 has a square shape, and bolt insertion holes 92 are respectively provided near the four corners.

In this embodiment, each tether 20L, 20R is comprised from three tether halves (pieces) 21, 22, 23 (FIG. 2). The tether half body 21 is a roughly V-shaped piece that is divided into two branches, one of which constitutes the side of the inclined tether portion 20a on the inner panel 50, and the other constitutes the side of the lateral tether portion 20b on the inside. One side of the inner sheet 50. The bottoms (base ends) of the two branches of the V-shaped tether half body 21 are sewn to the inner surface of the inner sheet 50 .

In this embodiment, the proximal ends of the tether halves 21 are arranged in a positional relationship in which the inner panel 50 is sandwiched from the inner side of the respective airbags 12 and 14 and overlapped with one end side of the connecting band 18L or 18R. Therefore, the tether half body 21 functions as a reinforcing cloth for sewing the connecting belt half body 18L or 18R and the inner panel 50 together, and the connecting belt half body 18L or 18R plays a role of sewing the inner panel 50 and the tether half body 21 together. The function of the reinforcing cloth.

The remaining tether halves 22, 23 respectively constitute the sides of the inclined tether portion 20a and the lateral tether portion 20b on the respective outer panels 60, 70. One end of tether half 22 is sewn to the upper inner surface of each outer panel 60,70, and one end of tether half 23 is sewn to the lower inner surface of each outer panel 60,70. Reference numeral 24 denotes a reinforcing cloth, which is disposed on the side opposite to the one end side of each tether half body 22 , 23 sandwiching the respective outer sheets 60 , 70 , and is sewn together with them.

The other ends of the tether halves 22 and 23 are respectively connected to the front ends of one and the other of the two branches of the tether half 21 .

When manufacturing the airbag 10, first, the rear edge 63 of the left outer panel 60 and the rear edge 73 of the right outer panel 70 are sewn to the side front edges 88, 89, respectively, with the base end side panel 80 flatly expanded. Next, the opposite edges 81, 82 of the tabs 80D, 80E of the base side panel 80 are sewn to each other.

Next, make the left outer panel 60 and the left side portion 50L of the inner panel 50 face each other in a flat unfolded state, respectively sew the front edges 51 and 61, the upper edges 52 and 62, and the lower edges 56 and 64 to each other, and make the right outer panel 70 Opposite to the right side portion 50R of the inner sheet 50, the front edges 55 and 71, the upper edges 54 and 72, and the lower edges 58 and 74 are sewn to each other, respectively. In addition, the tab front edges 83 and 84 of the proximal side panel 80 are sewn to the vicinity of the upper edge 53 near the folded portion of the inner panel 50, and the bottom front edge 80f of the proximal side panel 80 is sewn to the vicinity of the lower edge 57 near the folded portion.

Next, one of the two branches of the tether half body 21 attached to the left side portion 50L of the inner panel 50 is sewn to the front end side of the other, and the tethers attached to the upper and lower parts of the left outer panel 60 are sewed together. The other end side of the half body 22,23 is sewn. In addition, one of the two branches of the tether half body 21 on the right side portion 50R of the inner panel 50 is sewed to the front end side of the other, and the tethers attached to the upper and lower parts of the right outer panel 70 are sewed together. The other end side of the half body 22,23 is sewn.

By sewing the above-mentioned tether half bodies 21 to 23 to each other, the left side part 50L and the left outer panel 60 are connected by the tether 20L. And the right side part 50R and the right outer panel 70 are connected by the tether 50R.

As shown in FIG. 4 , by performing the above-mentioned sewing, the airbag 10 ( FIG. 1 ) is turned upside down, that is, the sewing thread is exposed to the outside of the airbag. Here, as shown in the drawing, the flap rear edges 85, 86 and the rear edge 87 of the base end side panel 80 have not yet been sewn, and an open opening M is formed in this state.

Through this opening M, the airbag is turned inside out. Next, the opening M is sewn up, and the connection belt halves 18L, 18R are sewn together to obtain the airbag 10 in FIG. 1 .

In this embodiment, the inflator 34 ( FIGS. 23 , 24 ) is disposed in the proximal chamber 16 through the gas receiving port 90 on the bottom surface of the proximal chamber 16 . In this embodiment, the inflator 34 is a bar-shaped object, and is arranged with its longitudinal direction as the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Reference numeral 36 denotes a fixing plate as a mounting member for fixing the bottom surface of the base end chamber 16 and the inflator 34 to the airbag installation surface of the airbag housing case 40 (FIG. 23, FIG. 24) (on this The embodiment is on the bottom surface of the housing 40).

The fixing plate 36 has: C-shaped belt portions (reference numerals omitted) respectively covering the side peripheral surfaces of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the inflator 34; flange portions (reference numerals omitted) from the Both ends of the C-shaped belt protrude along the bottom surface of the base end chamber 16 (and the airbag mounting surface of the housing 40), and the stud bolts 36a protrude downward from each flange. In addition, claws (not shown) are provided on the flange for locking the fixing plate 36 to the peripheral portion of the gas receiving port 90 , and the latch is provided on the peripheral portion of the gas receiving port 90 . Locking hole for claw (illustration omitted).

Before folding the sewn airbag 10 , the fixing plate 36 is inserted into the base end chamber 16 from the gas receiving port 90 and attached to the peripheral portion of the gas receiving port 90 in advance. At this time, while inserting the stud bolt 36a into the above-mentioned insertion hole 92, the flange is superimposed on the peripheral portion of the gas receiving port 90, and the claws of the flange are hooked and fixed to the above-mentioned locking hole. The fixing plate 36 is fixed. The stud bolt 36 a protrudes to the outside of the airbag 10 through the insertion hole 92 .

The fixing plate 36 is attached to the airbag installation surface of the housing 40 by the stud bolts 36a, thereby fixing the bottom surface of the base end chamber 16 and the inflator 34 to the airbag installation surface. Reference numeral 36b in FIGS. 23 and 24 denotes a nut screwed into the stud bolt 36a during this fixing.

In this embodiment, a protective cover cloth 38 for enclosing the folded body of the airbag 10 is connected to the rear end of the base end chamber 16 . In this embodiment, the protective cover cloth 38 is a belt-shaped piece protruding rearward from the rear end of the base end chamber 16 , and the base end side is sewn on the outer surface of the airbag at the peripheral portion of the gas receiving port 90 .

In addition, an opening (not shown) overlapping with the gas receiving port 90, and holes overlapping with the claw locking hole and the stud bolt insertion hole 92 respectively are provided on the base end side of the protective cover cloth 38. illustration omitted). The inflator 34 is disposed in the base end chamber 16 through the opening of the shield cloth 38 and the gas receiving port 90 . In addition, the stud bolt 36 a penetrates the bottom surface of the base end chamber 16 and the shield cloth 38 , and protrudes to the outside of the airbag 10 .

Insertion holes 38a for the stud bolts 36a are formed through the front end side of the shield cloth 38 .

The shield cloth 38 breaks when a tension of a predetermined value or more acts on the extending direction. Specifically, in this embodiment, on the middle part of the extending direction of the protective cover cloth 38, a perforated slit 38b is extended in a direction intersecting with the extending direction; the protective cover cloth 38, When a tension of more than a specified value acts on its extending direction, it breaks along the slit 38b,

The airbag 10 is folded and housed in the housing 40 together with the inflator 34 , and these components are fixed to the airbag mounting surface by stud bolts 36 a and nuts 36 b of the fixing plate 36 , thereby forming the airbag device 1 .

In addition, in this embodiment, the airbag device 1 is an airbag device for a passenger's seat of an automobile, and is provided on the inside of the instrument panel 2 in front of the passenger's seat. The portion of the instrument panel that covers the case 40 is pushed by the airbag 10 when the airbag 10 is inflated and is torn to form a door portion 2a that opens toward the interior of the vehicle interior. Reference numeral 2b in FIG. 19 denotes a tear line for guiding the door portion 2a to be torn.

It is also possible to install a cover (cover member) that is pushed and broken by the air bag 10 when the air bag 10 is inflated on the case 40, and an opening for installing the air bag device 1 is provided on the instrument panel 2, and the air bag is installed in the opening. When installing device 1, use the cover to cover the opening.

As shown in the figure, above the instrument panel 2 there is a windshield glass 3 standing obliquely upward from the end portion of the instrument panel 2 on the vehicle front side toward the vehicle rear.

Next, the folding procedure of the airbag 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 22 . FIG. 5 shows the state before the airbag 10 is folded, FIGS. 6 to 21 show the state during the folding, and FIG. 22 shows the state after the folding.

In FIGS. 5 to 10 , (a) is a side view of the airbag, and (b) is a cross-sectional view along line B-B of (a). Fig. 11, Fig. 14, Fig. 16, Fig. 18, Fig. 20 and Fig. 22(a) are overall perspective views of the airbag; Fig. 13(a) to (c) are each airbag showing the process of forming the state of Fig. 11 to Fig. 14 Perspective view of the front side. Fig. 12(a), (b) is a plan view and a side view of the airbag in the state shown in Fig. 11 . Fig. 12(c) is a sectional view along line C-C of Fig. 12(a). Fig. 15(a) is a plan view of the airbag in the state shown in Fig. 14 . Fig. 15(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 15(a). Fig. 17(a) is a plan view of the airbag in the state of Fig. 16 . Fig. 17(b) is a B-B sectional view of Fig. 17(a). FIGS. 19( a ) to ( c ) are cross-sectional views of a portion taken along line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18 for illustrating steps in the states from FIGS. 18 to 20 . Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a portion taken along line XXI-XXI of Fig. 20 for illustrating steps from Fig. 20 to the state of Fig. 22(a). Fig. 22(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 22(a).

When folding the airbag 10, at first the left side airbag 12 and the right half side airbag 14 are flatly deployed so that their respective left and right side surfaces (the left side 50L and the left outer panel 60, the right side 50R and the right outer panel 70) are aligned with each other. overlap. Then, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 12 , the left airbag half 12 and the right airbag half 14 are folded so that the vertical width becomes smaller, thereby forming a primary folded body that is elongated in the front-rear direction.

In the present embodiment, when performing this one-time folding, first, as shown in FIGS. The lower part (lower half) is folded upwards along the folding line _L1 connecting the lower edge of the connecting band 18 and the lower edge of the fixed plate 36 front end side, and overlapped to the left outer sheet 60 side.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7 , along the _folding line L 2 extending parallel to the folding line L ₁ at a predetermined interval from the folding line L ₁ to the side (upper side) of the lower edge portion 12b, the The portion closer to the lower edge portion 12b than the folding line L2 is folded downward and overlapped to the outside (the side opposite to the right airbag half 14 side). At this time, for example, the position of the folding line _L2 is determined by abutting against a ruler, a flat plate having a predetermined width, or the like along the folding line _L1 . In addition, the following folding lines L ₃ to L ₇ can also be determined by sticking to a ruler, a flat plate of a predetermined width, etc. along the folding lines of the previous folding similarly.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 8 , the portion protruding below the folding line _L1 is folded upward by the second folding. At this time, a predetermined interval (in this embodiment, an interval narrower than the interval between the folding line _L2 and the folding line _L1 ) is separated from the folding line _L2 to the side (lower side) of the lower edge portion 12b. ) and the folding line L ₃ extending parallel to the folding line L ₂ folds the portion closer to the lower edge portion 12b side than the folding line L ₃ upward and overlaps to the outside.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 9 , the upper edge portion 12t side (upper half side) of the left side airbag 12 above the connection belt 18 is placed downward at intervals of a predetermined width from the upper edge portion 12t. Fold toward the left outer sheet 60 side along the folding lines _L4 , _L5, ... (shown up to _L7 in FIG. 8 ) extending parallel to the above-mentioned folding line _L1 in sequence to form an elongated rolled body. . In addition, in this embodiment, the intervals of the folding lines L ₄ to L ₇ are set so that, as shown in FIG. The up and down width of the folded body is approximately equal to the up and down width of the lower half of the folded body.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 10 , the folded body on the upper half is positioned between the folded body and the folded body on the lower half, and along the folding line L extending parallel to the above-mentioned folding line _L1 . ₈ Fold downwards and overlap to the outside of the lower half of the folded body.

In addition, the upper half can be folded, for example, by winding from the upper edge portion 12t around a flat flat plate having a predetermined width. In this case, the upper half is wound up on a belt-shaped flat plate and folded, and after the folded body and the outer side of the lower folded body are superimposed, the belt is pulled out from the folded body. When it is a flat plate, the folding operation of the upper half can be efficiently performed.

The right airbag half 14 is also folded once in the same procedure as the left airbag half 12 . FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 show the states in which the primary folding of the left airbag half 12 and the right airbag half 14 is completed. However, in FIGS. 5 to 10 , reference numerals 14 b and 14 t denote the lower edge portion and the upper edge portion of the right side airbag 14 , respectively.

The primary folding method of the left-half airbag 12 and the right-half airbag 14 is not limited to the method described above.

In addition, in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, in order to show in detail the folded state of the airbag 12 after the primary folding, the left-right direction thickness of the primary folded body of the airbag 12 shown in the figure is larger than the actual, or is different from the 1st folded body. The vertical width of the secondary folded body is the same, but actually the horizontal thickness is smaller than the vertical width. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 , each of the primary folded bodies of the airbags 12 and 14 is a belt-shaped belt whose belt surface is in the up-down direction, and is a flat belt-shaped thing elongated in the front-back direction.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , with respect to the primary folded body in which the tape surface is in the up-down direction, the tape surface is folded twice in the left-right direction.

When performing this secondary folding, at first make the front end sides 12T, 14T of the primary folded body of the airbags 12, 14 forward to the left and right in a herringbone shape as shown by the arrows A1 and A2 of Fig. 13(a) than the connection belt 18. Separated, the front end sides 12T, 14T and the connecting strap 18 extend in a straight line in the left-right direction at the front end of the primary folded body.

L9 in FIG. 12 indicates the folding line of the herringbone folding of the front end sides 12T, 14T.

Next, as shown by arrows A3 and A4 in FIG. 12(c) and FIG. 13(b), the base end sides 12U and 14U of the primary folded body of the airbags 12 and 14 that are closer to the base end than the connecting band 18 are respectively surrounded. The axis lines in the respective extending directions are rotated approximately 90° so that the respective lower end sides are separated from each other so that their belt faces are along the left-right direction.

At this time, the vicinity of the bottom of the proximal side 12U, 14U is folded in the direction of the two approaching along the folding lines L ₁₀ , L ₁₀ in FIG. The proximal chamber 16 also becomes flat.

And, as the base end sides 12U, 14U are rotated as described above, as shown by arrows A5, A6 in FIG. The wire is turned backward and folded toward the lower side of the base end sides 12U, 14U to be superimposed on the lower surfaces of the base end sides 12U, 14U which become flat in the left-right direction.

At this time, the vicinity of the front end of each base end side 12U, 14U (the portion adjacent to the above-mentioned folding line _L9 ) is folded between the base end side 12U, 14U and the front end side 12T, 14T. L ₁₁ in Fig. 12(b) and Fig. 13(a) indicates the folding line at the time of this folding.

14 and 15 show a state where the airbag 10 is a secondary folded body that is flat in the left-right direction and elongated in the front-rear direction after completion of the secondary folding.

Next, the secondary folded bodies of the airbags 12, 14 are moved toward the airbag as shown by arrow A7 (Fig. 15(b)) with the vicinity of the front edge 16f (Fig. The rear of 10 (FIG. 15(b)) is rotated and folded to be in the state of FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 .

Next, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 , among the front ends 12T and 14T of the airbags 12 and 14, the parts protruding left and right from both sides of the secondary folded body are respectively folded along the folding line L12 as indicated by the arrow A8. Fold as shown, and superimposed on the upper surface of the connecting belt 18.

Next, the secondary folded bodies of the airbags 12, 14 are sequentially folded along the left-right direction folding lines _L13 , L ₁₄ , ... ( FIG. 18 , up to L ₁₅ are shown in this figure) are folded and folded toward the upper sides of the respective base end sides 12U, 14U. Then, the rolled bodies of the balloons 12 and 14 are overlapped on the upper side of the base end chamber 16 . Fig. 19(c) shows this state.

As shown in FIG. 19( c), when the base end chamber 16 is in a so-called crushed state, and the folded bodies of the airbags 12, 14 are placed thereon as described above, the base end side panels constituting the base end chamber 16 are formed. In 80, the rear end portion 16r of the base end chamber 16 is in a relaxed state starting from the vicinity of the bottom of each balloon 12,14. In this embodiment, in the proximal side panel 80 , the rear end vicinity portion 16S of the proximal chamber 16 protrudes rearward, and the proximal chamber 16 protrudes rearward by the amount of the slack. (Hereafter, the protruding portion of the base end chamber 16 is denoted by reference numeral 16S)

Then, the protruding portion 16S of the base end chamber 16 is folded upward as shown by the arrow A10 in FIG. fold shape. In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21 , the front end side of the protruding portion 16S of the base end chamber 16 is wound to the upper surface side of the rolled body of the airbags 12 , 14 .

As shown by arrow A11 in FIG. 21 , the protective cover cloth 38 is pulled forward to cover the folded body of the airbag 10 . The shield cloth 38 is fixed to the stud bolt 36a by passing a stud bolt 36a protruding from the bottom surface of the base end chamber 16 through the insertion hole 38a at the front end side of the shield cloth 38 . As a result, as shown in FIG. 22 , the folded body of the airbag 10 is covered by the protective cover cloth 38 (the shape is maintained), and the folding of the airbag 10 is completed.

When the vehicle having the airbag device 1 configured as described above encounters an emergency such as a collision, the inflator 34 performs a gas ejection operation, and the gas is ejected from the inflator 34 into the base end chamber 16 . The gas from the inflator 34 flows into the left side airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 from the base end chamber 16, and the left side airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 pass through the gas on the left side and the right side airbag 14 respectively in front of the occupant. Expand on the right.

In this airbag device 1 , when the airbag 10 starts to inflate, the shield cloth 38 is ruptured along the slit 38 b by the inflation pressure of the airbag 10 , and the folded state of the airbag 10 is released. Next, the base end chamber 16 is inflated, the door portion 2 a of the inflator is pushed open, and the folded bodies of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 are pushed out from the casing 40 .

In this embodiment, when the base end chamber 16 is folded, the rear end portion 16r protrudes backward, and the protruding portion 16S overlaps with the rear side of the folded body. Therefore, when the base end chamber 16 expands, it will appear as shown in FIG. As shown in 24, the protruding portion 16S is largely expanded on the rear side (vehicle front side) of the folded body. As a result, the folded body is pushed out toward the occupant side by the inflated protruding portion 16S, and the left airbag half 12 and the right airbag half 14 are smoothly deployed toward the occupant side.

Then, the folded state of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 is released, and the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 are rolled out toward the occupant side and deployed. In this embodiment, after making the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 flat in the left-right direction and performing secondary folding, the secondary folded body is rolled in from the front end side to the lower surface side. The left side airbag 12 and the right side airbag 14 are rapidly deployed toward the occupant side as indicated by arrow A12 in FIG. 24 .

Then, the left airbag half 12 that blocks the occupant's left chest and the right half airbag 14 that blocks the occupant's right chest are inflated to the left and right sides of the occupant, respectively. There are hard and powerful ribs on the left and right chest. The left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 respectively bear and absorb the impact of the occupant through the ribs. And, since there is a space 13 between the front ends of the inflated left airbag 12 and right airbag 14, and the vicinity of the ribs in the center of the occupant's chest confronts the space 13, when the occupant's body sinks into the airbag 10, Therefore, the vicinity of the sternum of the chest will not receive too much reaction force from the airbag 10, so the burden on the vicinity of the sternum becomes smaller.

In this embodiment, since the airbag 10 is inflated, the distance between the front ends of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 is 150-450 mm, so the expanded left half airbag 12 faces the left side. Near the center of the chest, the right side airbag 14 is facing near the center of the right chest, so that the airbag 10 can bear the vicinity of the ribs of the occupant's upper body extremely firmly.

In addition, in this embodiment, the front end sides 12T, 14T of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 are rotated close to each other and inflated from the state of being folded in a herringbone shape and separated from each other. Therefore, the left side airbag 12 approaches the left chest of the occupant from the left front to surround the left chest, and the right half airbag 14 approaches the occupant's right chest from the right front to surround the right chest. As a result, the two airbags 12 and 14 can sandwich and surround the occupant's head from the front, left, and right sides to block the occupant's head.

In the airbag device 1 of the present invention, after the airbag 10 is formed into a secondary folded body in which the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14 are flat in the left-right direction and elongated in the front-rear direction, final folding is performed to make the front-rear width smaller. Small. Therefore, various folding methods can be adopted as the final folding method. By appropriately selecting the folding method, the deployment directions of the left side airbag 12 and the right side airbag 14 can be specified according to the vehicle type (dashboard 2, angle of the windshield 3, etc.).

The above-mentioned embodiment is just an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the final folding is performed by folding the double folded body of the left half airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14, it is not limited to this, and for example, it may be folded in a crease shape, rolled up, or folded. and crease-like folds for the final fold.

The above-mentioned embodiment shows an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the final folding is performed by folding the secondary folded body of the left airbag 12 and the right half airbag 14, the folding method in this final folding is not limited to rolling. The final fold can be performed by a combination of crease folds, roll folds and crease folds.

Although the above-described embodiment has shown an example in which the present invention is applied to an airbag device for a passenger's seat of an automobile, the present invention can also be applied to seats other than the passenger's seat, and of course can also be applied to high-speed moving objects other than automobiles. In the air bag device that blocks the occupant.

Claims (2)

1. airbag apparatus, be provided with the air bag after folding, the charging blower that is used to accommodate the housing of this air bag and is used to make this airbag inflation, by means of the ejection gas that is configured in this charging blower on this air bag base end side, this air bag expands to the direction of its front away from this base end side;

This air bag has: base end part has the gas receiving port of reception from the gas of this charging blower; Left half side gasbag links to each other with this base end part, expands in the left side in occupant the place ahead; And right half gasbag, link to each other with this base end part, expand on the right side in occupant the place ahead;

This left half side gasbag and right half gasbag, its leading section are disconnected shape each other, thereby under the state that expands, form the spatial portion that opens wide towards the occupant each other at the leading section of this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag;

Centre portion on the expansion direction of this left half side gasbag and this right half gasbag, be that the centre portion of the above-below direction under the swelling state links to each other by connecting portion each other, it is characterized in that, this air bag,

Flatly launch along the vertical direction so that this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag separately about the side overlap each other; Then, the last avris of the described connecting portion of this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag and following avris are folded into respectively on the side with the opposite side of this connecting portion of this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag, thereby this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag form respectively that zone face is in the band shape of above-below direction and along 1 time elongated folded formation of fore-and-aft direction;

Then, each 1 folded formation of this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag forms that zone face is in the banded of left and right directions and along 2 times elongated folded formations of fore-and-aft direction;

Then, width folds it with diminishing before and after making towards base end side from the front of 2 folded formations of this left half side gasbag and right half gasbag, thereby forms final folded formation.

2. airbag apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that, folds by carrying out convolution, wrinkle or its combination from the front of 2 folded formations of described left half side gasbag and right half gasbag to base end side, thereby forms final folded formation.

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